Do You Believe in Destiny?
by Tori-chan
Summary: What would Nerima be like if something just slightly different had happened in Ranma's past? The fiancee situation is rather flipped around... ((On-going; not finished, and not being worked on atm, so read at your own risk. ^_~))


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**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ranma ½ or it's characters, so don't sue me. You wouldn't get anything... I have no money! ^_~**  
**C&C is very welcome! I always want feedback, even if it's just dropping a line and saying, 'Hey, I read your fic.' Email me at saezuru@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading!**

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Notes: This is one of those 'what if' fics, where the author changes things just slightly. I never thought I'd write one, because usually they annoy, but I couldn't help it. I had to try it just _once_ to see what it was like. ^_^ I've tried to keep the characters as much the same as possible. In this story, something different happened many years ago and as a result our characters are in a _slightly_ different situation . . .

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Do You Believe in Destiny?    
Episode 1    
_"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."_

  
  
  
Genma ignored the sounds of labor and combat going on outside and focused on his work. Much as he hated cleaning, the attic was really getting very dusty and cluttered, and Nodoka was pestering him to tidy it up for her. He sifted through a box of old dojo signs that he had won, grimaced at the dusty old things, and set them aside to decide later whether to throw them out or keep them as sentimental tokens. He moved onto the next box, a smaller one, opening it and peering inside cautiously. You never knew what might pop out of these things. He reached in and carefully lifted out an old, slightly grubby piece of cloth. He shook it out, wrinkling his nose and smothering a cough at the dust that rose, and then smiled fondly. It was an old gi, one that he had worn when he was much younger. Curiously, Genma looked back into the box and spied a leather-bound book in the bottom. He picked it up, examining it closely before opening it, having no clue as to what could be inside of it.   
He was interrupted momentarily by a particularly loud battle-cry from the lawn and looked up, startled, at the window. But then he smiled, shook his head, and looked back down at the yellowed pages of the book. Pasted to them, in a seemingly haphazard fashion, were some faded pictures of Genma and another man. Genma's eyes widened. Soun Tendo! His old partner in crime-- _How is he doing?_ Genma wondered, turning to page to find yet more pictures, as well as newspaper clippings and other such reminders of the past. He chuckled at some and smiled wistfully at others; those were the good old days, all right. With the afternoon sunlight streaming through the attic window and giving the dancing dust particles each a halo of their own, Genma continued to look through his old scrapbook.   
  


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"You're gonna get it this time, Ranma Saotome!" The cry came from a fit, rather handsome-looking young man whose short black hair was tied back by a bandanna. He was wearing a black, Chinese-style shirt that opened down the front, as well as black pants that were drawn and tied around his ankles. Held in his hand was a large, sharp-looking weapon that appeared to be some sort of cooking utensil. He was currently crouching on the fence separating two houses' lawns, every muscle tense, ready to spring at any moment.   
"Feh. Say what you like, Kuonji-kun, but you can't beat me and you _know_ it!" The other man, about the same age, was wearing another Chinese shirt, but it was a bright red color. He was also wearing black pants and had black hair, but his was longer and worn in a pigtail down his neck. He was standing, knees slightly bent, in the ankle-high grass; he was seemingly calm, but he was ready for any move his opponent might make.   
The first young man snarled, his hair bristling. "_Don't_ . . . call . . . me . . . KUONJI-KUN!" He leaped off the fence, doing a front-flip and flying towards the red-clad boy, foot outstretched to kick him. His opponent easily dodged, and Kuonji immediately followed up his kick with a series of lightning-fast blows to the abdomen, which the other blocked. The fight took them all over the yard, and even onto the roof of the house. Finally a middle-aged but attractive-looking woman came out of the door of the house, glancing up at the roof from whence various thudding and growling noises where emanating. "Ranma! Ukyo! I've made a snack for you, if you're hungry!"   
The two adversaries paused in their bashing one another and glared at each other for a moment longer before their expressions suddenly broke into friendly grins, as if on some unseen signal. "Yeah, I did work up an appetite," Ranma said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand, a habit that he'd picked up from somewhere.   
Ukyo nodded, as he brushed off his clothes and jumped down off the roof. "Yup. And Nodoka-san cooks so well, I could eat her snacks whether I was hungry or not!"   
Ranma sighed, wistfully. "She still hasn't quite mastered okonomiyaki, though. I still have to come to you for that."   
Ukyo laughed as Ranma slid down off the roof, joining him. "Well, you're welcome to it any time, you know that."   
Ranma made a face. "I'm glad I stopped pop when he tried to leave with your cart; just because he had the cart didn't mean he could cook from it!"   
Ukyo's eyes darkened dangerously. "Is that the only reason you made him stay? Because of the okonomiyaki?"   
Ranma laughed, patting Ukyo reassuringly on the shoulder. "'Course not, Ucchan. Don't be stupid."   
They went into the house and were greeted by Nodoka's smiling face. "Here you two, there's some soup on the stove if you want it. I'm going to go check on your father, Ranma, to see if he's actually doing any work up there, and not just dawdling as he looks at all his junk."   
Ranma nodded distractedly as he drifted into the kitchen, led by the smell of the hot soup. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Thanks for the soup, mom."   
Ukyo nodded and performed a small bow. "Yes, thanks, Nodoka-san. It smells delicious." Nodoka smiled at him, and then disappeared through the doorway. Ukyo then turned towards the stove, the hunger in his stomach showing in his eyes.   
Ranma dished up some of the soup into two bowls and carried them into the dining room, where the two of them knelt down to eat. They talked about the sparring match for a while, but the discussion soon turned to more obscure topics. When Nodoka returned, with Genma trailing after her, they were arguing heatedly over the last bowl of soup.   
"_You've_ already had three bowls, Ranma! I've only had two, so it's fair that I should get the last one!" Ukyo stamped his foot, glaring at the pig-tailed boy.   
"Yes, but I'm a growing man, and need my food. Unlike you!"   
Ukyo blinked and sputtered, "I am right now! I worked harder than you in that match, so I'm hungrier. Let me have--"   
Nodoka cut in smoothly, keeping a firm grip on her husband's sleeve. "Now, now, kids, calm down. I can heat up some more in a little bit. Please, have a seat. Your father has something to tell you."   
Ranma shot his father a suspicious glance, but obediently sank to the floor, soon followed by Ukyo. Genma cleared his throat. "Alright, boys-- er, well, whatever." He cleared his throat again. "I've decided that we're going on another trip." When the two boys' eyes flashed, Ranma's with anger and Ukyo's with eagerness, he held up his hands. "No, no, not on a training trip. We're going to visit an old friend of mine, Soun Tendo. We'll probably end up staying there for quite a while, since I've got a lot to catch up on with that old guy." His eyes flickered over towards Ukyo. "If you like, you can come along with us, Ukyo. You'll have to defend Ranma from Soun's three daughters." He winked, as Ukyo huffed up slightly.   
Ranma rolled his eyes, crossing his hands behind his head. "What would I want with a bunch of dumb girls, anyway?" He caught Ukyo's expression out of the corner of his eyes and grinned, trying to calm him down. "Hey, come on. There's no reason for you to be angry. Pop was just teasin' you. Right pop?"   
Genma nodded solemnly, and clasped his hands together in front of him. "Mm-hmm. We're leaving tomorrow, so you'll need to go check with your father, Ukyo, and then pack your stuff."   
  


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A petite, delicate-looking young girl with a bright red pig-tail down her neck shuffled along, kicking a rock through the mud in front of her with the toe of her shoe. "I still don't see why we had to pack up and come all the way here, y'know."   
Ukyo, walking next to her, shrugged. "It really doesn't make that much different to me, Ranma. It'll be nice to take a break from school, anyway. Though if we stay there very long, we'll probably end up going to whatever high school they have there."   
Ranma-chan glanced at Ukyo, blinking the rain out of her eyes. Ukyo was in his element despite the soppy weather, smiling cheerfully and walking with a bounce in his step. Nodoka and Genma were walking someway back, sharing the only umbrella anyone had packed. Ranma sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah, well, I wish we could've just stayed home. It's all much easier that way."   
Ukyo suddenly stood on tip-toe, craning his head to see above the hill they were climbing. "Look, there's the town! Neri . . . Neri . . . Neri-whatsit!"   
Ranma's interest perked, despite his sour mood, and he too peered over the hill. "Nerima, yeah. Well, at least we'll be able to come in out of the rain."   
  


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"Daddy, looks like we have visitors," Ranma heard the call from inside the house. They were all crowded onto the doorstep, trying to get out of the rain. After a few moments, the door slid open to reveal a late middle-aged man with black hair down to his shoulder blades. No one said anything for a while, and then all of a sudden Genma cried out, "Soun! Soun, it's me, Genma! Don't you remember me?"   
Soun blinked, stared for a moment, and then suddenly started sobbing, rushing forward and linking arms with Genma. "Genma, old boy! What have you been up to?"   
Genma laughed, peering behind the dark-haired man to see three girls of different age drift curiously into the hall. "Ah, these must be your daughters that you wrote me about!"   
Soun nodded proudly, stepping aside so everyone could see. "Yes, yes, this is Kasumi, the eldest, she's nineteen. This is Nabiki, she's seventeen. And this is Akane, my youngest, she's sixteen. And . . ." He looked around, peering behind the girls and up the stairs. "We have guests, son, come on down!" There was a rush of movement, and suddenly a young man about Ranma's age had come down the stairs to stand beside the three girls. He was wearing a yellow shirt that opened across his left shoulder, and black pants that were cross-tied around his lower legs. His thick black hair was tied back by a yellow and black bandanna, much like Ukyo's except for the color. Soun gestured to him, and smiled. "This is Ryoga, Akane's fiancé. I know they're a little young to be engaged, but there had to be someone to carry on the Tendo training hall." Soun beamed upon Ukyo, saying, "Ah, this must be Ranma!"   
Genma chuckled. "No, no, you've got it all backwards. _This_ is Ranma," he said, placing a hand on Ranma-chan's shoulder, "And _this _is Ranma's fiancé, Ukyo." And he gestured at Ukyo.   
Ranma looked down at the ground, looking almost embarrassed. "Yeah . . . _I'm_ Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."   
Soun blinked, looking puzzled."Oh. I had hoped . . ." he glanced to the side, at Kasumi and Nabiki. "Er, well, I thought that Ranma was a . . . a . . ."   
Nabiki interrupted smoothly, "A boy? I did too. But daddy, this is definitely not a boy. Can't you tell the difference?" She stooped to peer at the pig-tailed girl's chest, and then reached out with a finger to poke her.   
Ranma-chan closed her eyes, balling her hands into fists. "Um . . . excuse me . . ."   
Akane stepped up, glaring at her sister and pushing her aside. Then she turned a sunny smile on Ranma, saying softly, "Hey, don't worry about her. Wanna be friends?"   
Ranma blinked, taken aback. But then she nodded, hesitantly, "H-hai . . . alright."   
Soun and Genma, seeing that everything was taken care of, went into the living room arm in arm, deep in an avid discussion of their old lives.   
The rest of the family trailed into the house behind the two old friends, carefully removing their shoes and shutting the door behind them. Kasumi, who had long, light brown hair stepped into the front hallway and cocked her head to one side, smiling. "Good evening. You all must be the Saotomes, hmm? Oh, you're all soaked to the bone! How about you go upstairs and change into some dry clothes?" She led Nodoka and Ranma-chan to one room, and Ukyo to another. She pointed out where the bathing room was, and then went back downstairs to fix dinner. As he stripped, Ukyo could hear the sounds of laughter coming from downstairs as Soun and Genma talked about old times. He picked up one of the towels Kasumi had left him, wrapped it around his waist, and stepped into the hallway after making sure no one was out there. Assured of his privacy, he followed the directions to the bath house, called out to make sure it was unoccupied, and slipped inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the steaming water, letting the towel drop to the floor. He put his spatula down next to the towel-- his battling spatula was something he never went anywhere without. One never knew when one might need to fight someone off. He courteously rinsed himself off with a bucket of cold water before stepping down into the hot water. He quickly submerged, and felt his bones creak and pop as an all-too familiar sensation passed through his frame.   
Ukyo lay back, resting her damp head against the side of the tub. "Ahh, it feels so good to be a girl again! No matter what Ranma says, _I_ say it's definitely better being female!" She reached up and felt at her head, where her white bandanna was still tied round her head. She retied it, putting her hair up so it wouldn't get any wetter. She soaked in the hot water for a good twenty minutes, letting the bruises and sore muscles of traveling drift away. Eventually she reluctantly prodded herself into action and raised herself out of the tub. She picked up the towel and was about to begin drying herself off when she heard the door open. Before she could react, the young man from downstairs had strode into the room, wearing nothing but the yellow and black bandanna in his hair and a towel around his waist. He froze, staring at her, and she froze as well, staring back.   
He was the first one to move. He staggered backwards, clamping on hand to his nose, but not before a trickle of blood crept out. ". . . Gaaah!" he said, taking another few steps back.   
That prodded Ukyo into action. She screeched, a hair-raising, window-shattering scream that surely disturbed any neighbors within a kilometer radius of the house, scooped up her spatula, and swung it full force at the young man. He raised his free hand from the waistline of his towel to fend off the blow, so losing his grip on the towel, which fluttered to the floor.   
Ukyo's eyes widened, and the swing of her spatula faltered. Then she quickly shut her eyes, tight, and began yelling again. "HENTAI! Help, there's a _pervert_ in the bathroom!" She swung at him with her spatula again, this time connecting solidly with the poor boy's skull. "You . . . you _JACKASS!_" He looked dazed, but otherwise uninjured. Puzzled, she swung at him again, but he dodged it, face bright red, and fled the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Ukyo snatched up a towel and wrapped it around her, dropped her spatula to the floor, stopped screaming, and then sank to the floor as her legs turned to jello.   
The sound of pounding feet jarred Ukyo to her senses, and she looked up from the floor to dizzily see Ranma-chan, worriedly bending over her. "Ucchan! What happened? Are you alright? Where's the hentai?"   
Ukyo swallowed, taking Ranma's hand and pulling herself to her feet, careful to keep the towel tightly around her person. "H-He's gone now. He ran out of the room. It was that guy, the one who's engaged to one of the Tendo sisters."   
Ranma-chan's eyes narrowed, and she picked up a bucket, filled it with steaming water from the tub, and dumped it on her head. Then he looked out the doorway as if he might catch a glimpse of the man. "Ryoga, I think. If he laid _one_ finger on you, I swear I'll--"   
"No!" Ukyo managed to smile, her heartbeat finally beginning to slow down again. "No, it's fine. He only looked at me, and I'm sure it was all just a mistake. I'm sure he didn't mean to walk in on me."   
Ranma sighed, giving Ukyo a pensive glance. "Well, if you say so."   
Meanwhile, a little crowd had gathered outside of the door. Genma was looking resolutely at the floor, arms across his chest, and Soun was staring suspiciously at Genma. Nabiki was leaning against the doorframe, her expression unintelligible, while Kasumi was standing just behind her, the fingers of one hand pressed against her lips, eyes wide. Ryoga was nowhere to be seen, and Akane was turning alternate shades of angry pink, red, and purple. "Wh-who . . . who are _you? _And what are you doing in my house? What happened to Ranma-chan and her fiancé?"   
Ukyo looked at the family, sighed, and said sadly, "He's Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."   
  


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"Owww! That's _hot_!" Ukyo protectively put her hands over her head. "It just has to be _warm_, not boiling!"   
Nabiki pursed her lips, leaning over her eagerly, still pouring water from the kettle. "Wow! You really _do_ turn back in hot water. This is really too amazing."   
Ukyo sighed, rolling her eyes. "So you believe us now?" Ukyo's voice suddenly got deeper. "How charming. So you can stop," and again, the voice grew higher, and feminine, "changing me back and forth now, right?"   
Nabiki smirked gleefully, setting the two kettles down, one filled with cold water, and one filled with hot. "Of course." There was a glint in the older girl's eyes that Ukyo didn't like, but she decided not to make an issue of it.   
Ukyo sighed, giving Ranma a sidelong look. He was examining the other members of the family fairly closely. Especially Ryoga, a potential sparring partner-- the boy had come back in once everyone was seated, and had heard the whole story while they all ate dinner. Ukyo forgave him, and Ryoga took it like a man, although he still turned a little pink whenever he saw Ukyo. Next to Ryoga sat Akane; the strange thing was that although they were supposed to be fiances, they didn't seem all lovey-dovey or anything. In fact, they made an effort not to even look at each other. Ukyo frowned, but then relaxed. After all, although she was engaged to Ranma-honey, he never really made any romantic overtures towards_ her_. Her thought process paused. _That's right_ . . ._ he never _does _do anything romantic_--_ not that I think I could handle anything romantic from him, anyway._ She stifled a giggle. The idea of Ranma trying to offer her a bouquet, or invite her on a date, just made her want to snicker. He was a nice enough boy, she supposed, and she was quite fond of him, but she couldn't ever see herself _actually_ marrying him.   
"Well," Mr. Tendo was saying, as Ukyo began to listen again, "You're all welcome to stay here for as long as you want. Ranma will find that Ryoga's a great sparring partner; after all, I wouldn't let just anyone carry on the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts." A snort from Nabiki told everyone just how much the middle Tendo sister believed _that._ Soun ignored his daughter, though, and continued. "Miss Kuonji can share Akane's room, and Ranma can stay in Ryoga's. Genma, you and your wife can have the guest room."   
Nodoka smiled and bowed her head, accepting the offer. "Thank you, Tendo-san. I don't think we'll be intruding for too long, though I must admit your house and dojo is wonderful."   
Soun grinned broadly. "Oh, it's nothing, but thank you!" He paused, looked around at the rest of the family, and then suggested, "How about we adults go into the other room and recall memories?"   
Genma's eyebrows went up. "D'you have any sake?"   
Soun nodded, looking almost offended. "Of course I do! I'm never unprepared." With that, the two men got to their feet and shuffled into the next room, followed closely by Nodoka, who sighed, shaking her head slightly.   
Kasumi got to her feet and smiled apologetically. "I need to clean up after dinner-- if you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen." And she, too, left the room, but headed in a different direction.   
Nabiki looked back and forth between the two couples on opposite couches, rolled her eyes, and slid over towards the stairs. "Yeah, like I'm staying here? Count me out!" And she headed upstairs.   
Akane blinked, noticing the room had suddenly emptied of people. She had been concentrating on examining the two newcomers. The young man, Ranma was his name, seemed nice enough. He was certainly handsome, with his red Chinese shirt and black pigtail. Akane was slightly angry at him, though, for deceiving her. She'd _thought _that he was a girl, and could be her friend. The girl seemed okay, too. She looked kind of odd, with something that looking like an unholy cross between a knife and a cooking utensil strapped to her back, but Akane was used to some pretty strange things. And on top of the fact that this new couple changed shape with water, carrying a giant spatula wasn't _too _weird. Akane turned her attention back to the boy. He _was_ pretty cute . . . not as cute as her Ryoga, of course, but close. Cute in a different way. She glanced at Ryoga out of the corner of her eye. She felt a strange sort of possessiveness of him, as if she didn't want anyone to touch him, but she couldn't imagine actually marrying him. He was nice, and handsome, and was probably the sweetest guy she'd ever met, but for some reason, she just didn't feel anything towards him. And he never tried to do anything romantic with her-- they never went out on dates, or anything. Akan had a feeling that the only reason Ryoga stayed with them is because he couldn't find his way out of the door in order to leave. She had to hide a smile, at that. The guy was probably the best fighter in the area, but he couldn't find his way anywhere even if there were neon signs pointing the way. Akane held onto the faint hope that perhaps her friendship with him would grow into something more, so that they could marry and carry on the dojo. The silence in the room began to get a little heavy, and Akane tilted her head to one side, smiling, in an unconscious imitation of her eldest sister. "So . . . I hear you guys are martial artists too, right?"   
Ukyo nodded, eager to break the silence. "Yep. I spar with Ranchan here all the time, though I generally change into my guy form to do it. Or Ranchan changes into a girl." She leaned forward, conspiratorially. "He doesn't like being a girl, though I honestly can't see why. I've been both guy and girl, and I can truthfully say being a woman is much better."   
Ranma rolled his eyes and consciously tried to block out the conversation going on with the females. He liked Ukyo, but sometimes girls could be such pains. He turned his attention to the other girl, the one called Akane. She was awfully cute, though her long dark hair looked almost out of place on her. She had large brown eyes, a round face, and a _really _cute smile. Ranma felt himself begin to blush, and quickly turned his attention to the guy on the other couch before Ukyo could see, and pound him for it. Although Ukyo never really tried to act like a real fiancé, she got really pissed off when Ranma so much as _talked_ to other girls. "Hey . . . Ryoga, right?" At the other boy's nod, he continued, "You wanna go have a sparring match, just to see where we stand compared to each other? The girls can have the dojo room, if they want it. We can go outside; there's plenty of room." Ranma still hadn't fully forgiven him from walking in on Ukyo, but he could live with his anger. He usually did, anyway.   
Ryoga grinned, showing what appeared to be-- Ranma blinked, but when he looked again, they were still there. The other boy had _fangs_. Ranma began to look a little nervous, and Ryoga noticed his line of vision. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not some sort of monster, or anything. It's just a family trait. All of us Hibikis have them." Then, he stood up, nodding agreement. "And yeah, sparring sounds great." Ryoga couldn't help glancing back at Ukyo, who was deep in conversation with Akane, and he felt his face begin to go red again. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then opened them again. She'd already forgiven him for walking in on her, but that didn't erase the memory from his mind. _I think I'm going to be scarred for life. I'm not gonna be able to look at her ever again without thinking of . . . of . . ._ Ryoga shook his head to clear it, and followed Ranma outside.   
The sounds of the girls' conversation faded into a muted chatter as Ryoga shut the door behind them. Ranma took several steps away from Ryoga, bending his knees slightly and raising his hands into position, signifying that he was ready. "I'm ready when you are, Ryoga." He felt a slight surge of irrational pleasure as he thought of pounding the guy for spying on his Ucchan.   
Ryoga stood for a moment, before drawing-- seemingly from nowhere-- a large, red, bamboo umbrella. "Prepare yourself, Saotome . . . because here I _come_!" At the end of his sentence, he lifted his head and rushed at Ranma, umbrella held out in front of him like a weapon, and the match began.   
  


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Ukyo stood at one end of the training hall, knees slightly bent, hands in front of her, as she waited for the first move. Akane had changed from casual clothes into a white gi, and was standing at the opposite end of the dojo, her position an almost exact mirror of Ukyo's. She narrowed her eyes, trying to determine what Ukyo's first move would be, and then decided to use surprise to her advantage, and rushed an attack.   
Ukyo's face showed surprise only briefly; she quickly blocked Akane's first punch, which she followed up with a high kick. Akane dodged it easily and did a series of lightning-fast punches to Ukyo's mid-section. Only one hit its target, but the slight pain was enough to tell Ukyo that this was a serious opponent. Her lips curled back slightly, and she skipped out of the way, letting the other girl tire herself out. While all Ukyo was doing was moving slightly side to side and backwards, Akane was moving all around her, trying to land a blow. Akane's brows furrowed. "What's wrong with you? Fight me for _real_!" And the speed and force of the attacks quickened, making Ukyo dodge more frantically, and wish she had chosen to use her spatula in the fight.   
  


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_This guy is good!_ The fight had been going on for several minutes, and though Ryoga hadn't yet begun to get tired, he knew that he would at any moment. Ryoga dodged out of the way of an attack, avoiding the ornamental fish pond in his way. He spun around to meet the attack, swinging his umbrella at Ranma. The other boy dodged it in mid air, kicking off of it with one foot. Unfortunately, Ranma hadn't seen the fish pond, and landed right in the water, sending up a spray of water. Droplets landed on Ryoga's face, and he winced in sympathy. The water was ice cold, since it was early enough in the spring that the nights still got cold to disallow the water to warm up any.   
Ryoga took a few cautious steps towards the pond, where little bubbles of air were breaking the surface. "Ranma? You okay?"   
Suddenly, a figure broke the surface, jumping onto the rocks rimming the pond, dripping water all over the place. It raised its hands into a fighting stance. "Yeah, I'm fine! Now come on and fight me!" Ryoga blinked in confusion-- Ranma's voice was different; higher pitched, and angry. Then, when the figure lifted its head, Ryoga got quite a shock. It wasn't Ranma at all, but a red-headed girl! Ryoga was about to ask who the hell it was, when he remembered about the Jusenkyo curse. Ryoga closed his eyes and lowered his umbrella. "Are you sure? Ukyo mentioned how you didn't like to fight in your girl body . . ."   
Ranma's eyes flashed. "Never mind her! She's just a dumb girl, what does she know ab-b-bout anything? We st-started this fight, and we're g-gonna finish it! N-Now, c-c-come and fight-t-t m-me!" Her teeth were beginning to chatter from the cold water against her skin.   
Ryoga's face softened slightly, and he took a step forward. "Look, we can finish this later. Right now, you need to dry off and get warm, or else you're going to get sick."   
Ranma glared at Ryoga for a moment longer, in her fighting stance, before she relaxed minutely, looking slightly puzzled, the muscles in her shoulders untensing. "Th-Then . . . you d-d-don't want t-to finish the f-fight?"   
Ryoga grinned, again showing the fangs that Ranma had noticed earlier. "Don't be silly. We can finish it later. You're pretty good, you know."   
Ranma blinked twice in rapid succession, and then straightened up, discovering that Ryoga's smile was contagious, and found herself mirroring it. "You're not t-too bad yours-s-self, Ryoga."   
But Ryoga had already begun to walk back into the house, and glanced behind him with an amused expression on his face to make sure Ranma was following. "What are you just standing there for? Hurry up and get dry, baka."   
  


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Akane was furious. This girl she was fighting-- she wouldn't fight _back_! For all Akane's attacks and feints, all Ukyo would do was dodge out of the way. How did she expect to beat her if she was only defensive? Akane began to get careless, letting her emotions get in the way of her fighting. She could feel her skills slipping, but for all of Ryoga's patient teaching, she still couldn't make herself calm down.   
Suddenly, Ukyo's defense turned to offense; she jumped up, placed her hands on Akane's shoulders and pushed off, doing a flip over the girl's head. She landed, spun around, and landed a light tap with her index finger on the back of Akane's head. Ukyo grinned and said softly, "Gotcha . . . !"   
For a moment, Akane didn't know whether to be even more angry, or laugh at herself. But when she spun around herself, she caught the grin on Ukyo's face, and couldn't help but start to laugh. Ukyo joined in, folding her arms behind her back. "You're pretty good at this, you know! Who taught you?"   
"You're good too," Akane replied with a self deprecating chuckle. "Better than me, obviously. And Ryoga's been teaching me, lately-- before that, I sort of figured it out myself as I went along." She paused, noticing the sweat on Ukyo's brow and feeling kind of sticky herself. "Here-- let's go sit on the porch and cool down a little."   
Ukyo nodded, gratefully following her out of the door. She sat down after Akane did, resting her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. Akane leaned back, supporting herself by her hands on the porch boards.   
"So . . ." Akane rapidly tried to think of something to talk about. "How long have you and Ranma been engaged?"   
Ukyo glanced at Akane out of the corner of her eye briefly, and then looked up at the sky. "Ever since we were very little. I don't ever remember _not_ being engaged to him; my earliest memories have him in them." She sighed, almost sadly. "Can you believe it; up until we were almost six years old, he thought I was a _guy_. It was only when his father sat him down and had a little guy-talk that he finally figured it out." She rolled her eyes, "Moron."   
Akane stifled a laugh, fearing it might hurt the other girl's feelings. "Well . . . Guys sure are idiots sometimes, aren't they?"   
Ukyo smiled. "You said it!" She looked back at Akane, keeping a straight face for a period of about one and a half seconds, before they both started to laugh. When they calmed down, Ukyo asked curiously, "What about you and Ryoga? I mean, how long have you guys been fiances? Pardon my asking and everything, but you don't seem very . . . well, you aren't too . . . you don't act like . . ." Ukyo struggled to put her thoughts into words that wouldn't sound offensive, or prying.   
Akane noticed her difficulty and put in swiftly, "We don't act like fiances, you mean? Well, we've been engaged for about two months now, but it was my father who arranged it. And Ryoga's such a nice boy that he can't really refuse anything. At first, it was really awkward, because neither of us knew how we were supposed to act towards each other, but eventually we just sort of became friends and ignored the whole fiancé thing. I sort of keep hoping that something will happen to make me love him, but no luck so far." Akane looked out across the yard and sighed, almost gloomily. "You and Ranma don't really act all that lovey-dovey either, you know."   
Ukyo shook her head, snickering slightly. "Oh, hell no. He's probably forgotten we're even engaged by now. Even when he figured out I was a girl and not a boy, he treated me no different than he did before. Which I think is good-- because if he treated me like a girl or whatever, I think I'd be physically sick." She made a face. "He's . . . he's really a wonderful guy, though. A bit too egocentric, and possibly a bit dense too, but . . ." Again Ukyo struggled to find words, an unfamiliar sensation tightening her chest as she spoke of him. "But . . . he's _my_ egocentric dummy, you know? He's incredibly nice when he wants to be, and he's awfully cute with that pigtail of his. It's almost as if we're brother and sister, not husband and wife-to-be."   
Akane watched Ukyo out of the corner of her eye throughout her description of Ranma, and then said quietly, "You like him, though, right?"   
Ukyo nodded decisively. "Of course. You can't spend your life with someone and _not_ feel at least a little something for them. I probably do love him, in my own way, and he loves me back, but not the marriage kind of love." Ukyo had to hide a smile, at that. "Yeah, if I try to picture us married, it makes me want to start laughing."   
Akane sighed, somewhat wistfully. "The only problem with having a fiancé, especially one you're not _actually_ in love with, is that you can't date anyone, or even _look_ like you want to date someone. Ryoga doesn't care, but my father throws a fit. He's really set on us getting married."   
Ukyo chuckled. "Yeah, I can see what you mean. But I've personally never really been interested in too many guys; I just haven't seen any of them that grab my attention. I think if I did find someone, he'd have to be like Ranma, at least a little. He's pretty close to my idea of a perfect guy. Perhaps if he wasn't so concerned with acting macho, and was a little sweeter. But for now, I'm perfectly satisfied with just being his sisterly fiancé."   
Akane looked puzzled. "But don't you wish you could . . . oh, I don't know, go on a date with someone? Or kiss someone? Don't you ever wonder what it's like?"   
Ukyo looked rather surprised. "Oh, I've kissed Ranma, if that's what you're talking about."   
Akane blinked. "You have? But . . . I though you two didn't . . ."   
Ukyo laughed. "Well, actually, he kissed me. Anyway, you don't spend fifteen or so years engaged to someone without experimenting a _little_." Ukyo clasped her hands and sighed, the very picture of a lovesick heroine in some novel. "Ohhh, and Ranma is a _good_ kisser . . ."   
Akane turned a little pink. "Uh, I don't really need to know the details . . ."   
"Yeah, well, haven't you and Ryoga . . . experimented?"   
"No way!" Akane started backwards slightly, her face bright crimson. "Of course not! Ryoga . . . he's not . . . he's just not like that, and neither am I!"   
Ukyo's eyes darkened slightly. "And are you implying that Ranma and I are indecent, or something?"   
Akane shook her head, quickly. "No no, I just meant . . . well, Ryoga takes all that very seriously, and would only kiss someone he really liked. He wouldn't do it as an experiment."   
Ukyo looked thoughtful. "He sounds as if he takes himself very seriously. Does Ryoga ever--"   
"Do I what?" Ryoga, seeming to materialize behind them out of nowhere. Ranma was behind him, in his male form once more.   
"Aiee!" Ukyo jumped backwards, raising her hands to ward off evil, only to discover that it was just Ryoga.   
Akane blinked, only mildly surprised. Ukyo decided that it looked as if Ryoga did this a lot. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a bunch of girl-talk that you wouldn't be interested in." She paused, and then asked curiously, "Did you guys have your match?"   
Ryoga nodded, taking a few steps forward and sitting down on the edge of the porch himself. "Yeah. But we didn't finish it, since Ranma fell into the fish pond. We stopped so he could get dry and warm again." He paused. "Or . . . so she could get dry and warm again . . .?"   
Ranma shook his head, leaning against the wood post. "I'm still a guy, okay? I may look like a girl sometimes, but I'm still a man!"   
Akane, meanwhile, had covered her mouth, trying to turn a giggle into a cough, or something else inconspicuous.   
Ranma glanced at her, his face darkening. "Yeah, well, what is it? What's so funny?"   
Akane bit her lips, and then said in a subdued tone of voice. "Oh, gomen. I . . . It's just that-- well, you _fell_ into the fish pond? And you're supposed to be a martial artist?"   
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "I didn't know it was there, stupid! I've never been here before, so how am _I _supposed to know where everything is?"   
Akane clamped her jaw shut, her fists clenching. "What. Did. You. Call. Me." Her voice was strained, and she bit the end of each word off sharply.   
Ranma leaned forward, raising his voice. "I called you stupid, stupid!"   
Akane stood up, her knuckles turning white with the force of her clenched fists. "Don't . . . ever . . . call me . . . _STUPID!_" Out of nowhere, a mallet appeared in her hands and she brought it down on Ranma's pig-tailed head. Akane only looked mildly surprised that a rather large weapon had just materialized in order for her to hit somebody. As Ranma lay on the ground, twitching, with his fingers curled into the defeat position, Ryoga and Ukyo exchanged glances.   
"A-Ano . . ." Ryoga attempted, taking a tentative step towards Akane.   
"Stay out of this, Ryoga!" Akane's head swivelled, her eyes sparking dangerously.   
". . ." said Ryoga, backing away.   
Akane blinked, and then relaxed her grip on the mallet which was still plastered against the back of the prone Ranma's head. "Oh! Gomenasi, Ryoga. I kind of got carried away there." She shot a murderous glance at Ranma's back, and then stalked into the house. "Hmmph! I'm going to bed. Good_night_!"   
Ukyo stared after her with a kind of morbid fascination. "Wow . . . What's with her . . .?"   
Ryoga winced, looking a tad embarrassed for his fiancé's sake. "Ah, well, she, um. She kind of has some anger problems . . ."   
Ranma groaned from his position on the floor, and then sat up, clutching his head. "Argh. You can say that again."   
Ryoga looked rather puzzled. "She's usually not that bad, though. I don't know what's gotten into her."   
Ranma made a pitiful moaning noise, and beginning to look very suspicious as if he were playing it up just a tad.   
Ukyo raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You didn't really help any, Ranchan, what with calling her stupid and all."   
Ranma shrank back a little from Ukyo's gaze. "Yeah . . . well, she called me clumsy!"   
Ukyo leaned forward slightly. "You are clumsy! How could you fall into a _fish pond?_ That's not just clumsy, that takes talent!"   
Ranma's eyes narrowed, and he looked hurt. "Why are you defending _her?_ You only met her half an hour ago! You'll desert me that quickly?"   
Ukyo faltered under those eyes. "N-No, don't be silly. I was just pointing out that . . . well . . . oh, never mind. Come on, let's just go to sleep. I can try to talk to Akane and see if she'll calm down." She walked into the house, following the thudding noises of Akane's footsteps.   
Ryoga, meanwhile, had been edging away in case an argument broke out, but relaxed once Ukyo left the room. Ranma noticed this and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Don't you like Ukyo?"   
"No! That's not it--" Ryoga shook his head quickly. "A-Ano . . . She just-- she just kind of scares me a little right now, that's all. That spatula _hurt_ . . ."   
Ranma grinned conspiratorially. "Ohh, she hit you in the bathroom that time, eh? Don't worry, you get used to it after a while." He looked slightly worried. "Um, say, does Akane _usually_ pull weapons out of nowhere? I mean, does she do it a lot?"   
Ryoga shrugged candidly. "I really can't say. I've never seen her do it before. And she looked a little surprised, so maybe she only just started doing it. It could have just been that one time."   
"I sure hope so!" Ranma replied fervently. "That really hurt," he added, rubbing the back of his head.   
Ryoga winced in sympathy. While he'd never been on the receiving end of Akane's violence, he'd seen what she did to the guys at school every morning. "Well, anyway, shall we go? You're sharing my room, while you stay. Maybe she'll have forgotten about it tomorrow morning. If not, I can try to talk to her."   
Ranma nodded and followed Ryoga into the house. "What a violent tomboy," he muttered under his breath.   
  


_To be continued . . ._

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Do You Believe in Destiny?    
Next Time: Episode 2    
_"Nihao, Ryoga! Wo airen!"_   
_("A-Ack! Er, no, wait-- gaaah . . .!)_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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